Integrity in public officials begin with us

Does shame exist for government insider elites? From Bill Clinton to Anthony Wiener to a host of other figures, it’s easy to lament the lack of integrity and personal standards once considered a must for public service. But is it always these characters in some far off place who demean our society, or does the same thing go on in our own towns?

In the past few weeks a family of political office holders in Progreso, in the Rio Grande Valley, has been arrested on corruption charges. The FBI alleges that to do most anything with the city or school district, these jokers had to be bought off. Now, I’m sure that to them such gifts and favors were just seen as “goodwill” gestures – being that they were hardworking public servant elected officials. Fortunately the FBI chose not to see it in that manner.

I’m sure that to them such gifts and favors were just seen as “goodwill” gestures…

Listeners know that over the past week we’ve been watching a corruption scandal of sorts in Lubbock where direct violations of the city charter, the taking of gifts and favors by elected officials, is being treated as nothing important.

It’s all a crisis of integrity and ethics and when we don’t stop it in our own towns, we’re as guilty as any Chicago political-machine thug and our inaction, our refusal to demand and enforce higher standards, is what empowers the behavior we claim to find so objectionable on the national stage.